High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam is an American political thriller limited series created by Daniel Stiepleman and Jonathan Wakeham and developed by Leslie Greif for TNT. The series premiered on September 13, 2026, and is inspired by the memoir Debriefing the President by John Nixon. It stars Joel Kinnaman as Nixon and Waleed Zuaiter as Saddam Hussein.

Premise The series explores the first interrogation of Saddam Hussein by CIA agent John Nixon following his capture in December 2003. Nixon seeks answers in search of weapons while he is forced to confront the consequences and ramifications of the invasion.

Cast and characters Joel Kinnaman as John Nixon Waleed Zuaiter as Saddam Hussein Lena Góra as Polly Stevens Rebecca Night as Rebecca Nixon Tom Berenger as Charles Nixon Sr. Christopher McDonald as Gabe Vardakas Dar Salim as Samir Paul Ryan as George W. Bush Ewan Miller as Jerry Munro Matt Barr as Major Cal Atkins Talia Balsam as Angela Jenkins

Production

Development In September 2018, it was announced Ziad Doueiri would direct a film adaption of the memoir Debriefing the President by John Nixon, with Alexander Rodnyansky set to executive produce under his AR Content banner. In February 2023, it was announced the project was being re-developed as a limited series, with Doueiri no longer attached. In August 2024, TNT greenlit the series.

Casting In February 2023, it was announced Joel Kinnaman had joined the cast of the series. In January 2025, Rhona Mitra joined the cast of the series. In April 2025, Lena Góra joined the cast of the series, replacing Mitra. In April 2026, Waleed Zuaiter was announced to be cast in the series.

Filming Principal photography commenced in Egypt.

Episodes

Release In the United States, the series premiered on September 13, 2026, on TNT. In the MENA region, it began airing on September 9, 2026, exclusively on WATCH IT. It will be released in United States on HBO Max on October 14, 2026.

Reception On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an 71% approval rating based on 7 critic reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave a score of 53 out of 100 based on 6 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

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